City/Empire of Birth: Born in the city of Rome under the rule of the Roman Republic
Date of Death: August 19, 14 AD
Family
Adopted son of Julius Caesar (44 BC)
Changed name to Gaius Julius Caesar at this time
Sister: Octavia
Adopted Tiberius
Became his successor in 14 AD
Married 3 times
Had only one daughter
Role in History
Early Life
Octavian was born Gaius Octavius into an equestrian family in 63 BC. His father died at a young age and his mother remarried another powerful Roman family. His new father, at one time a Roman consul, spent little time with young Octavian. Because of this, he was raised by his grandmother Julia (sister of Julius Caesar). Octavian attended a military training academy for a time before joining Caesar in Rome. Having no living heir, Julius Caesar adopted Octavian as his official heir in 44 BC. At this time, he adopted the name of his adopted father's family and changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar. Octavian was not in Rome when Caesar was murdered but when he returned, he sought out Marc Antony and the two began to plan their revenge.
Second Triumvirate (43 BC to 32 BC)
Octavian
Marc Antony
Lepidus
Sanctioned by the Roman government, the purpose of this group was to punish Romans responsible for the plan to murder Caesar. Under the Triumvirate, Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus were able to seize the land and wealth of these traitors and use them to fund their own armies. At the Battle of Philippi (October 42 BC), Octavian’s armies (commanded by his close friend Marcus Agrippa) finally defeated the armies of Brutus. Following this defeat, Brutus committed suicide rather than surrender to Octavian’s troops.
With their enemies defeated, the Triumvirate divided up the lands of Rome. Octavian was given Italy, Spain, and Gaul. Marc Antony was given rule over Egypt and Lepidus control over Northern Africa. In 36 BC, Marc Antony divorced his wife Octavia (Octavian's sister) and married Cleopatra, the Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt and mother of Julius Caesar’s son, Caesarion. This gave Octavian and the Roman Senate cause to declare war on Antony and his Egyptian armies. In 32 BC, the Senate revoked Antony's power as consul and dispatched Octavian's army to Egypt.
Emperor Octavian Augustus First Emperor of Rome
War with Antony (32 BC to 30 BC)
Octavian's legions, under the command of Agrippa, won several victories over Antony's forces. Following the battle of Acticum in September 31 BC, most of Antony's army deserted him and joined forces with Octavian. With few soldiers and no hope for victory, Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide on August 1st, 30 BC. When Octavian's armies captured Alexandria, Octavian ordered the death of Caesarion, reportedly saying "two Caesars are one too many." This victory over Marc Antony and Cleopatra ended all opposition to Octavian's rule of Rome.
Pax Romana (27 BC to 180 AD)
Following his victory over Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian returned to Rome a hero. However, rather than follow in Caesar's footsteps, Octavian returned all of his power to the Roman Senate. He still maintained the loyalty of his legions and slowly, the Senate voted more and more power to Octavian. Ruling Rome devastated by civil war was not Octavian's dream and he made it his goal to bring peace, order, and stability to his empire. Of all the titles given to Octavian in his long time as ruler of Rome, two became closely associated with him: Augustus (illustrious one) and princeps (first citizen). Under Octavian, the Roman Empire expanded in size and power and became the dominant force in the Western world. As a leader, Octavian was effective and decisive while maintaining a system of fairness throughout his realm. The Pax Romana, the Roman peace would last for nearly 200 years finally ending with the death of Marcus Aurelius and this reign of general peace was a result of the policies started by Octavian.
Importance in History
Octavian Augustus was the fist of a long line of Roman emperors who ruled over Western Europe for centuries. Roman rule, Roman laws, Roman government, and Roman culture flourished from in this time and still leaves its impact on the Western world today. Rulers both in the Roman world and in the modern world can look to Octavian for a model of firm and effective leadership. Modern authors use Octavian's Roman Empire as a model to develop their stories from. Octavian's title "Caesar" is the base word used by many modern nations for their monarch (for example German Kaiser and Russian Czar). Few rulers in the history of the world have taken a civilization on the verge of destruction, as Republican Rome was, and create a nation that would maintain stability, peace, and order for many years. Octavian's empire would, for over 200 years, maintain peace in the Mediterranean world; a feat never truly matched to this day. He is a unique man and a unique ruler whom historians, teachers, and students should admire for years to come.
63 BC to 14 AD
Founder and First Ruler of the Roman Empire
By: Mr. Johnson
Life
Date of Birth: September 23, 63 BCTable of Contents
Birth Name: Gaius Octavius
City/Empire of Birth: Born in the city of Rome under the rule of the Roman Republic
Date of Death: August 19, 14 AD
Family
Role in History
Early Life
Octavian was born Gaius Octavius into an equestrian family in 63 BC. His father died at a young age and his mother remarried another powerful Roman family. His new father, at one time a Roman consul, spent little time with young Octavian. Because of this, he was raised by his grandmother Julia (sister of Julius Caesar). Octavian attended a military training academy for a time before joining Caesar in Rome. Having no living heir, Julius Caesar adopted Octavian as his official heir in 44 BC. At this time, he adopted the name of his adopted father's family and changed his name to Gaius Julius Caesar. Octavian was not in Rome when Caesar was murdered but when he returned, he sought out Marc Antony and the two began to plan their revenge.Second Triumvirate (43 BC to 32 BC)
Sanctioned by the Roman government, the purpose of this group was to punish Romans responsible for the plan to murder Caesar. Under the Triumvirate, Octavian, Antony, and Lepidus were able to seize the land and wealth of these traitors and use them to fund their own armies. At the Battle of Philippi (October 42 BC), Octavian’s armies (commanded by his close friend Marcus Agrippa) finally defeated the armies of Brutus. Following this defeat, Brutus committed suicide rather than surrender to Octavian’s troops.
With their enemies defeated, the Triumvirate divided up the lands of Rome. Octavian was given Italy, Spain, and Gaul. Marc Antony was given rule over Egypt and Lepidus control over Northern Africa. In 36 BC, Marc Antony divorced his wife Octavia (Octavian's sister) and married Cleopatra, the Ptolemaic Queen of Egypt and mother of Julius Caesar’s son, Caesarion. This gave Octavian and the Roman Senate cause to declare war on Antony and his Egyptian armies. In 32 BC, the Senate revoked Antony's power as consul and dispatched Octavian's army to Egypt.
War with Antony (32 BC to 30 BC)
Octavian's legions, under the command of Agrippa, won several victories over Antony's forces. Following the battle of Acticum in September 31 BC, most of Antony's army deserted him and joined forces with Octavian. With few soldiers and no hope for victory, Marc Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide on August 1st, 30 BC. When Octavian's armies captured Alexandria, Octavian ordered the death of Caesarion, reportedly saying "two Caesars are one too many." This victory over Marc Antony and Cleopatra ended all opposition to Octavian's rule of Rome.Pax Romana (27 BC to 180 AD)
Following his victory over Antony and Cleopatra, Octavian returned to Rome a hero. However, rather than follow in Caesar's footsteps, Octavian returned all of his power to the Roman Senate. He still maintained the loyalty of his legions and slowly, the Senate voted more and more power to Octavian. Ruling Rome devastated by civil war was not Octavian's dream and he made it his goal to bring peace, order, and stability to his empire. Of all the titles given to Octavian in his long time as ruler of Rome, two became closely associated with him: Augustus (illustrious one) and princeps (first citizen). Under Octavian, the Roman Empire expanded in size and power and became the dominant force in the Western world. As a leader, Octavian was effective and decisive while maintaining a system of fairness throughout his realm. The Pax Romana, the Roman peace would last for nearly 200 years finally ending with the death of Marcus Aurelius and this reign of general peace was a result of the policies started by Octavian.Importance in History
Octavian Augustus was the fist of a long line of Roman emperors who ruled over Western Europe for centuries. Roman rule, Roman laws, Roman government, and Roman culture flourished from in this time and still leaves its impact on the Western world today. Rulers both in the Roman world and in the modern world can look to Octavian for a model of firm and effective leadership. Modern authors use Octavian's Roman Empire as a model to develop their stories from. Octavian's title "Caesar" is the base word used by many modern nations for their monarch (for example German Kaiser and Russian Czar). Few rulers in the history of the world have taken a civilization on the verge of destruction, as Republican Rome was, and create a nation that would maintain stability, peace, and order for many years. Octavian's empire would, for over 200 years, maintain peace in the Mediterranean world; a feat never truly matched to this day. He is a unique man and a unique ruler whom historians, teachers, and students should admire for years to come.References
Cassius Dio's Roman History (translation). Complete text can be found here.
Augustusfrom Encyclopedia Britannica
History of Augustus Caesar from History World
Augustusfrom Roman Emperors.org
Augustusfrom Wikipedia
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa09
Augustus